The Money Pit is a comedy about a young couple, Walter Fielding (Tom Hanks) and Anna Crowley (Shelley Long), who believe they’ve found the deal of a lifetime — a beautiful country mansion being sold for a suspiciously low price. Desperate for a home, they buy it without much inspection, only to discover that their “dream house” is a complete nightmare.
Almost immediately after moving in, everything begins to fall apart. The staircase collapses, the electrical system shorts out, doors fall off their hinges, and entire sections of the house crumble. Determined to restore it, Walter and Anna bring in a chaotic mix of contractors and workers who seem to make things even worse rather than better.
One of the film’s most memorable moments comes during their attempt to renovate the bathroom. Walter tries to take a relaxing bath in what he thinks is one of the few finished rooms. But the moment he settles in, the bathtub crashes straight through the floor, destroying the bathroom and leaving him in shock. The scene ends with him standing in the ruins, laughing uncontrollably — a perfect example of how absurdly everything keeps going wrong.
As their home continues to fall apart, so does their relationship, tested by endless delays, lies from contractors, and the sheer chaos of renovation. But by the end, after months of struggle and frustration, the house is finally restored — and so is their relationship.
The Money Pit is both a hilarious and painfully relatable story about home ownership, renovation disasters, and the perseverance (and humor) needed to survive them.